Bike/suspension setup for the Don

Hey guys,
I'm new to suspension. Been riding my Giant Trance this summer using the rough body weight=psi for the shocks but I really have no idea how it should behave.

I realise this is probably pretty individual and may vary dramatically by bike design as well, but any suggestions on shock set up (pressure and rebound settings) as well as tire pressure? If it matters I'm ~5'10" and around 160lb without gear. I ride almost exclusively in the Don and am fairly novice.

As a general rule, an average ride will use around 80-90% of the suspension's full travel. A full speed balls out ride will use 90-100%. A nice leisurely ride will be somewhere from 60-80%. As for tire pressure, I'm really too lazy for my own good. I inflate to 32psi or so every few weeks and just keep riding until it feels too soft, which is about 20-23psi depending on the tire. I weigh 150lbs for what it's worth.

there are many misconceptions about setting up suspension and some common mistakes. here are some basic steps to get you started. it can get more complex but this information will teach you the basics with out getting into things like shim stacks, oil weights, changing chamber sizes etc...

-review the manufacture specs on the front and rear setup. they will talk about "sag"

-sag is the amount the suspension will depress in a neutral riding position under the riders weight (in all your riding gear) balanced in one spot.

-this will be your first setting. sag is set by preloading a spring or adjusting air pressure in the main chamber of the shock. in a fork it will be one of the fork legs. i'll talk about air setup here...

-review the manufacture specs again and be sure of the location of the air valves/adjustment knobs. know your minimum and maximum air pressures. not paying attention to this can damage your shock

-sag is often listed as a percentage of travel of your shock. for example if your travel is 100mm and they are calling for 30% sag you would do this little formula 100mm x .30=30mm so 30mm is the amount of sag you need. just note they will list different sags for different conditions. use the general setting to start with.

-armed with this knowledge get on the bike and balance it (between a doorway is best). measure how much that o-ring moves between the shock body. for example using the above example if it moves only 20mm you have to let some air out, then try it again until you reach 30mm. if it moves to much add some air. it is important not to bounce on the bike while you are taking these readings.

-depending on the shock/fork you have a bunch of other settings you can do. rebound, dampening, hi-speed-low-speed, threshold, etc..

-you have to find a baseline to see what setting will suit you best and where you ride. the easiest way i've done this for other people and myself is to count the number of clicks on each knob. for example the dampening knob might have 10 clicks. then set the that setting 5 clicks in. find this mid point for all your settings and adjust to this point. write all these settings down so you don't forget. then adjust based on you riding. for example if your damping feels harsh you have to back it off, only do it one click at a time and record what you are doing. you will soon tune your suspension like an expert.

there are a lot of other settings, but learn this basic ones first.

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Re: Bike/suspension setup for the Don

Thanks guys. Yes the bike has Fox shocks front and rear. I think only basic rebound settings. I'm not sure if I can identify if the rebound is too harsh but it seems like slow rebound would be fairly easy to identify